• PMID: 17761895
• Gene Name: IGF1R
• Condition: Altered the morphology of cultured Sertoli cells and decreased lactate and transferrin secretions
• Association: Associated
• Sex: Male
• Infertility type: Male infertility
• Other associated phenotypes: Altered the morphology of cultured Sertoli cells and decreased lactate and transferrin secretions

Inactivation of the IGF-I receptor gene in primary Sertoli cells highlights the autocrine effects of IGF-I

Froment P, Vigier M, Nègre D, Fontaine I, Beghelli J, Cosset FL, Holzenberger M, Durand P.

IGF-I regulates pituitary and gonadal functions, and is pivotal for sexual development and fertility in mammalian species. To better understand the function of autocrine IGF-I in Sertoli cell physiology, we established a system for Cre-mediated conditional inactivation of the IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) in cultured Sertoli cells. We show here that loss of IGF-IR decreased the number of viable Sertoli cells as a consequence of diminished Sertoli cell proliferation and increased Sertoli cell death. Furthermore, the lack of IGF-IR altered the morphology of cultured Sertoli cells and decreased lactate and transferrin secretions. Collectively, our data indicate that autocrine IGF-I contributes significantly to Sertoli cell homeostasis. The described in vitro system for loss-of-function analysis of the IGF-IR can be readily transposed to study the role of other intratesticular growth factors involved in spermatogenesis. FAU - Froment, P AU - Froment P AD - Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Lyon F-69003, France. froment@lyon.inserm.fr FAU - Vigier, M AU - Vigier M FAU - Nègre, D AU - Nègre D FAU - Fontaine, I AU - Fontaine I FAU - Beghelli, J AU - Beghelli J FAU - Cosset, F L AU - Cosset FL FAU - Holzenberger, M AU - Holzenberger M